Display-rack.



No. 649,038, v Patented ma a, 1900.

e. w. BARNETT.

DISPLAY .RACK.

' (Application. filed Sept. 16, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT FfFICf GEORGE W. BARNETT, OF KAHoKA, MISSOURI,ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF To EDWARD P. SPANGLER, or SAME PLAo DISPLAY-QRACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 649,038, dated May 8,1900. App icat fi ed deptemher 16,1899. Serial No. 730.754. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BARNETT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Kahoka, in the county ofClark and State of Missouri, have invented a new and usefulDisplay-Rack, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a novel display-rack designed for thesupport and display of a number of rugs or other textile articlescapable of being rolled into cylindrical form. I

The object of the invention is to produce a simple, inexpensive, andefficient displayrack embodying a carrier comprising a series of rug-supporting spindles which may be readily shifted to present anyparticular rug for examination and upon and from which the rugs may bewound or unwound without creating the disorder and confusion whichordinaril results from the examination of rugs or ot er textiles whencontained in disconnected bolts or rolls.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of mydisplay-rack complete, showing a number of the spindles filled andothers empty to clearly illustrate the construction of the device. Fig.2 is a central vertical sectional view of the subject-matter of Fig. 1in a transverse plane. Fig. 8 is a detail view, on a somewhat-enlargedscale, illustrating the mounting of the spindles; and Fig. 4 is a detailview illustrating the adjustable bearing and the lock for the uppershaft.

Referring to the numerals of reference designating corresponding partsin the several views of the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate apair of verticalstandards provided with supports or feet 3 and connected by transversebeams 4 and 5, located, respectively, adjacent to the opposite ends ofthe standards. In the frame thus constructed are mounted upper and lowerhorizontal shafts 6 and 7, at the opposite ends of each of which arekeyed or otherwise secured coincident sprocket-wheels 8 and 9. Theseshafts are designed for the support and actuation of an endless carrierdesigned to support a number of rugs or the like in a manner to permitthem to be shifted for convenience of inspection and to permit theindividual rugs to be wound or unwound to facilitate their storing orexamination.

This carrier comprises a pair of endless sprocket bands or chains 10 and11, passing over the sprocket-wheels 8 and 9 at the con- 5 5 tiguousends of the shafts, and a series of preferably equidistant horizontalrug-supporting spindles 12, journal'ed at their opposite ends inbearings 13, carried by and preferably integral with certain of thelinks of 6b the chains. One'end of each of these spindles is squaredbeyond its bearing to provide means for readily effecting the attachmentof spindle-operating mechanismas, for instance, a crank 14. One end ofthe lower shaft'7 is likewise squared at its extremity beyond thestandard 1, as indicated at 15, by means of which the wrench may beconnected with the shaft to rotate it, causing the endless carrier to beset in motion and the desired display of the rugs by presenting themsuccessively for inspect-ion.

If it is desired to unroll any particular rug for closer examination,its spindle may be lo cated at the upper end of the rack, and its edgemay be grasped and pulled down to the bottom of the rack, thus causingthe rug to be hung over the entire side of the rack for inspection. Theexamination having been completed, it is simply necessary to apply thecrank to the spindle and rewind the rug, after which any other rug maybe presented by the movement of the carrier through the ro tation of thecrank, which will now be connected to the end of the shaft 7.

Itfrequently happens that a rug can be best displayed upon the floor,and I have therefore provided a simple expedient constituting tensionmechanism arranged to be exerted upon each spindle as it is presented atthe bottom of ,the stand to facilitate the unrolling of the rug Woundupon one of the lowermost spindles and its smooth, even, and compact'r'ewinding thereon directly from thefloor. This tension mechanismcomprises a number of slightly-curved spring-fingers 16, radiating fromthe shaft 7 at various points along its length and arranged to contactwith the spindles as they pass around the sprocketwheels 9. When filledspindles are presented at the bottom of the rack, the increasedeffective diameters of the spindles causes the spring-fingers 16 to besprung back slightly and to exert more or less pressure upon the rollsof rugs, thus producing sufficient tension to compel the smooth and evenwinding or unwinding of the rugs upon or from the spindle.

Anysuitablerug-retaining mechanism may be employed for fastening theedge of the rug along the spindle to prevent drawing or wrinkling of theformer; but I prefer to employ in connection with each spindle a hookrod17, revolubly carried in proximity to the spindle by straps 18, carriedon the spindle and provided with bearing-loops 19 for the reception ofthe hook-rod. The rod is provided with a series of preferablyequidistant rug-retaining hooks 20, designed to be passed through theedge of the rug and to retain it smoothly and evenly upon the spindle.As the rods 17 are rotatable, the hooks 20 are permitted to swing to theposition indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings for the attachment of therug or to lie flat against the face of the spindle when the rug is woundthereon.

Any suitable mechanism-as, for instance, the vertically-adjustablebearing-boxes 21, supporting the opposite end of the shaft (5- may beprovided for regulating the tension of the sprocket-chains, and anydesired expedient may be provided for locking the carrier in any desiredposition-as, for instance, to retain the spindles stationary while oneor more rugs are wound or unwound. For this latter purpose, however, Iprefer to employ an adjustable swinging locking-plate 22, provided withan angular recess 23, designed to engage the square extremity 2a of theshaft (5. The locking-plate is carried by the standard 1 and ispreferably connected thereto by a pin 25, projecting from the standardand engaging a longitudinal slot 26 in the plate.

From the foregoing it will appear that I have produced an inexpensive,efficient, and easily-operated display-rack adapted for the display of anumber of rugs or like articles, each of which is capable of beingquickly unwound for examination and rewonnd into small compass; butwhile the present embodiment of the invention appears at this time to bepreferable, I reserve the right to change, modify, and vary thestructural details illustrated and described as suggested by experienceand experiment and comprehended within the scope of the protectionprayed.

I/Vhat I claim is 1. In a display-stand, the combination with a support,of a carrier comprising a series of independently and bodily movablespindles, tension devices adapted for engagement by the spindlessuccessively and individually, and means for moving the spindles toengage them with the tension devices.

2. In a display-stand, the combination with a support, of a carriercomprising a series of bodily-movable and independent]y-rotatablespindles ,ru g-retain i n g devices carried by each spindle, and tensiondevices arranged in the path of the spindles and adapted for engagementtherewith to hold them independently as they are successively presentedby the movement of the carrier.

3. In a display-stand, the combination with a support, of a pair ofshafts, sprocket-wheels mounted on the shafts, an endless carriercomprising a pair of sprocket-chains engaging the sprocket-wheels,independently-rotary spindles connecting the chains, a series ofsubstantially-radial spring-fingers extending from one of the shafts andinto operative proximity with the adjacent spindles, and means forrotating said shafts.

t. In a display-stand, the combination with a support, an endlesscarrier comprisinga pl u rality of bodily-movable andindependentlyrotatable spindles, and a series of substantially-radialfingers projecting into the path of movement of the spindles and adaptedfor engagement therewith as the spindles are moved.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. BARNETT.

Vitnesses:

B. S. CRAWFORD, G. E. MeHUeH.

